Side Bar

MEMBER BENEFIT OF THE MONTH

Section CLE Discount

Starting July 1, 2021, DSBA will be offering a 10 percent discount for any Section members of the Section sponsoring a DSBA seminar. We just thought it might be a nice way to thank the Section for assisting the association in achieving its budget goals. CLE attendance and revenue helps us keep the cost of membership much lower than many Bar Associations and trade organizations and this discount is one way to show our appreciation to the many Sections who help DSBA create the best continuing legal education. The discount will be applied automatically upon registering and paying for a CLE, provided the Section has sponsored the CLE and the registrant is an active member of the Section.

DELAWARE STATE BAR ASSOCIATION VIRTUAL ART SHOW

To celebrate our state’s creative counsel, the DSBA will feature members who moonlight as artists and musicians in a virtual art and music show to be published in the July/August issue of the Bar Journal! Share your talents with the rest of the Bar! How to Participate: ▪ For the artists, send us a photo of your paintings, photography, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, sculptures, prints, digital art, and more. All mediums accepted. ▪ For the musicians, send us a photo posing with your instrument. ▪ Include a brief description of your work (no more than 75 words). Images should be submitted to Rebecca Baird at rbaird@ dsba.org in JPEG, GIF, or PNG format. UPDATED Submission Deadline: June 10, 2021.

TOP 5

HARDEST BAR EXAMS IN THE UNITED STATES

1California

Often regarded as the toughest bar exam, California’s exam has frequently had the lowest pass rate of all 50 states (sometimes as low as 40 percent) but that may change as it has cut its 3 day exam back to 2 days and announced in 2020 that it would lower its passing score to 1390 (rather than 1440).

2Delaware

Delaware makes the list as one of the hardest bar exams in part because the score required to pass the multi-state is 145, which is the highest in the nation. Delaware also only offers the exam once per year, giving students who fail a very long wait before they can take it again. It also tests very narrow subjects that few schools in the country teach. Its pass rate of 69 percent for first-time takers is among the lowest in the country.

3Louisiana

Louisiana’s bar exam is probably the most unique in the country. It has not adopted any of the standard testing portions (MBE, MEE, MPT, etc.). Rather, you need to know both the common law and Civil Law, or traditional law in France and other portions of Europe.

4Nevada

Nevada’s pass rate was a mere 52 percent and its 60 percent pass rate for first-time takers tied it with California for the lowest in the country. Nevada also requires a very high score to pass at 140, tied for fourth highest in the country. It has a reputation for having extremely long model answers for the essays. This means that there is a lot that students are supposed to be able to identify and discuss.

5Virginia

Virginia’s bar exam is one of the hardest bar exams by virtue of the wide variety of topics — with 24 possible areas to test. One thing to note about Virginia is that it requires you to take the bar exam in a suit.